28.08.2026 09:21
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" in official US records amid escalating trade tensions with Canada. The Canadian government said it would not recognize the decision, with Prime Minister Mark Carney pushing back against Trump, stating, "This lake is named Lake Ontario. Today and forever."
A new move from Trump that will anger Canada has emerged. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes between the US and Canada, as "Lake America."
The decision came after trade talks between Washington and Ottawa ended inconclusively. In response to the US imposing a 50 percent new tariff on $20 billion worth of goods imported from Canada, Canada also announced that starting in September it will apply additional tariffs of up to 50 percent on certain US goods.
"OFFICIAL AND IMMEDIATELY IN EFFECT"
In a statement after signing the order, Trump argued that the name change was "official and immediately in effect." Trump, stating that the administration has prepared the necessary documents, gave the US Department of the Interior 30 days to notify the country's official geographic names database of the change.
Although Trump said the decision was not a direct message to Canada, he later touched on trade relations in his speech and argued that the northern neighbor has long "exploited" the US in trade.
CLEAR RESPONSE FROM CARNEY TO TRUMP
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted strongly to the decision. Noting that the name Lake Ontario has a history of more than 400 years, Carney emphasized that this name predates both the founding of the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.
Carney said, "This lake's name is Lake Ontario. Today and forever."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also made a similar statement, saying, "This lake is Lake Ontario for Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever." Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly said, "We will always call it Lake Ontario."
STRIKING WORDS FROM TRUMP ABOUT OCEANS TOO
Trump, who said he had been considering changing the lake's name for a long time, used striking expressions in his statement in the Oval Office.
"We have a gulf and a lake. Now all we need is an ocean. Maybe we'll have to rename the Atlantic or the Pacific. Maybe we'll rename both."
In 2025, Trump also signed an executive order providing for the name of the Gulf of Mexico to be changed to "Gulf of America" in official US usage. The Mexican government rejected the decision, stating that the name of a shared body of water cannot be changed unilaterally.
REACTION ALSO CAME FROM THE US
Objections to the Lake Ontario decision also rose from within the US. Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell called the decision "stupid," and announced she would introduce a bill in Congress to invalidate the name change.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also stated that New York State will not call Lake Ontario "Lake America." The Governor of Wisconsin mocked the decision by saying he had changed the name of Lake Michigan to "Lake Wisconsin."